The Nightingale
by brightneeBee
Summary: With an impending Chitauri attack, the Avengers have a lot on their plate; specifically, Dr. Bruce Banner. Luckily, SHIELD has a Fey representative of the Sidhe Realm to keep Dr. Banner as calm as possible. Will romance ensue, or will the experience further prove that Banner should forever be isolated from humanity? Banner/OC Will be updated every other week.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

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**Author's Note: So, I have been a closet Bruce Banner/Hulk geek since I was a youngin', and after the Avengers came out, I have been working (secretly) on this fic for a while. I am not finished completely writing, but I'm close. I am also working on a HP TMR/HG pairing as a WIP, and so posting will alternate between the two stories while I write the endings. So, let's say one post every other week?**

**Being a strictly canon writer in the HP fandom, I kind of let my MarySue flag fly with the character in this story, so...forgive me. It was so fun, it kind of got out of hand. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the plot and the OC (which was named after the amazing Mariico, who will probably kill me after reading this character - if she actually punishes herself by reading it XD)**

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"PLEASE! Don't do this!" The glowing woman yelled, fighting against the reinforced restraints that were neutralizing her. Her high-pitched pleading fell on deaf ears while the lab assistants continued pulling levers and pushing buttons and typing commands into their computers. "You don't know what you're doing! Stop this now or you will all die!"

"Ms. NicEnnis, please remain still or the result could be catastrophic," a gruff voice boomed from the intercom system above. "Remain calm, ma'am. We've taken every precaution. Everythin'll be just fine."

The hysterical woman shook her head, sobbing. How SHIELD found her in an abandoned village in the Amazon was uncertain. All she knew was the agents and scientists supervising this little experiment did not know her entire history, or were choosing to ignore it. If the gamma ray pointed at her was turned on, it would most likely create such a catalyst within her, the building and a surrounding twenty mile radius would be nothing more than a desolate landscape of charred earth and concrete rubble. Millions of innocent people would perish, and she would stand alone in the center of all that destruction; unscathed as the sole survivor and cause of such destruction.

It was unfathomable that these humans - that SHIELD agents - were willing to sacrifice themselves and millions of unaware civilians just to satisfy curiosity. They only wanted to answer the questions surrounding her. How did she come to be? Where did her "gifts" come from on a genetic level? How much power did an individual of the Sidhe wield?

How far did her abilities reach, how far could they be pushed? And where did the limit - the threshold before she turned into a nuclear bomb - lie?

She started screaming as the lab assistants evacuated the ground level to hide behind ten-foot thick, pressurized steel walls and doors as the gamma ray whirred to life. "NO! NO! PLEASE! SOMEONE STOP THIS! PLEASE STOP THIS!"

No one listened as the calibration was adjusted and the tip of the ray glowed emerald-green. To be honest, Mari wasn't exactly sure what would happen if her body absorbed the beam. She had never been exposed to gamma radiation before - had never heard of gamma radiation before until two days ago - but she was relying on instinct, and her intuition was telling her the cataclysmic event would reduce the city to an expanse of nothingness if she didn't create a shield to contain the disaster. She was doubtful she would be able, and that made the pain that much more unbearable.

The tip of the gamma ray was glowing extremely bright and she could feel the heat radiating from it. It seemed her last resort so she participated in the ancient human ritual of praying for divine interference as she tensed her body while a computerized voice began counting down. Oh, what use was praying? SHIELD had no intention of stopping this experiment. All those people, innocent and ignorant to what was about to happen, wiped from the Earth in the blink of an eye as if they never existed. Whole families gone in an instant. It was unconscionable, immoral.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."

BOOM!

"...six, five, four..."

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Mari opened her eyes, she knew that voice! Had she really just been saved? In that moment, she hardly cared as long as Director Fury put a halt to this insanity immediately. She even made a promise to protect the human race for the rest of her immortal life as she watched the gamma ray wind back down into hibernation. Oh, she was saved!

"Release her now, you damn idiots!" Fury bellowed, his voice echoing through the intercom. "Do you even know what could have happened?! Did you even read the NicEnnis file?! She is a four-hundred-and-eighteen year-old-goddamn-fairy! You don NOT put a representative of the Fey under a gamma ray!"

The lesser ranking agents and scientists cowered under the Director's glare. The pressurized iron chains keeping her on the platform unlocked and fell from her ankles, wrists and neck with heavy thuds to her immense relief. The rush of adrenaline knocked her to her knees and she took deep, even breaths to calm down before her control crumbled from the shock.

A second too late and Director Fury would have been one of the casualties in an experiment with nuclear results, most likely. It was terrifying to her, the magnitude of arrogance the mortal race lived in on a daily basis. Maybe she should have remained in Court, safe in the realm of the Seely Court where she could have taken her chances against the foes waiting for her there. At least she would have been more knowledgeable of the terrain. At least she would have had allies. In the mortal realm she would be forever shackled to SHIELD, reliant on them if she couldn't protect herself - if she was captured again, and by the wrong people.

"Marion NicEnnis," said Fury. She hadn't noticed him come down from the viewing area to stand before her. "If you would follow me. I am in need of your assistance... We all are."

She took his offered hand, her complexion bone white against his warm brown, and allowed him to help her to her feet. She smoothed a hand over her long expanse of wild auburn curls and wiped the evidence of tears from her pale green eyes. She would not be seen trembling, she would be the picture of grace and strength that she had been raised to display with high esteem. She had shed far too many tears today, and she refused to be seen as weak in the presence of humans.

"Apologies on behalf of SHIELD, Marion," said Fury, swiping a key card to access the corridor beyond the laboratory. "This experiment was not authorized. Everyone involved has been dismissed and sent to transport for a flight down to the Council. The agents on this vessel is under strict orders to keep a distance of three feet from you at all times. No touching allowed. Coulson will be keeping a close eye on you, personally."

So, this wasn't a city building, it was one of those flying carriers. Mari nodded in comprehension, grateful for that small favor. Although, thousands of lives was still too great a risk. "And what use am I to you this time, Director? I should return be returning home... where I belong. Your realm is far too dangerous for the Sidhe. Far too dangerous for me to remain here much longer. I am still under consideration in my Court, Director Fury."

"You're a warrior, are you not?"

"An elemental, of sorts. I am of mixed breeding, Director. My skills are many, but my status is that of lesser Fey," Mari answered, her voice a mixture of calming harmony and sweet, trickling melody; like bells chiming together in perfect unison to create angelic music that had been lost for centuries upon centuries. Ethereal, otherworldly, that was the closest any mere human had come to describing the affect of her voice. "I still remember the training you provided during my last visit. It has only been mere days since I last saw you, but I am certain that it has been months for you."

She followed him through a maze of hallways, each one as dapper grey and metallic as the last.

"Try two years, Marion," replied Fury, a bitterness in his undertone. "We've had some pretty bad times, could have used your talents for most of them. As it is, we made due."

"Am I correct in assuming you mean for me to remain under SHIELD control, Director?" Marion bristled, electric currents sizzling over her skin. "I would be remiss to advise you for the third time that the Fey do not answer to mere mortals, nor do you as simple humans order us like your own personal soldiers of Glory. We are ancient. My people were living in civilized castes before your kind climbed out of the primordial ooze. You do not command us."

Fury refused to answer, merely grunting with a smirk on his face as he swiped his key card for the last time and entered a conference room above the central command deck of this flying ship. At least a hundred agents; all rushing about, sitting at computers, dishing out orders from the higher-ups. Mari stopped next to Director Fury, aglow and angelic above a sea of black suits and tired faces. Several men slowed to stare, and even a few women. Mari was aware of the effect her un-glamoured appearance had upon the mortal population. To them, her true identity was, in their terminology, celestial and ghostly; almost spiritual. To them, she was like a fallen angel. Statuesque even at a petite 5 foot and 4 inches; with an airy, exquisite beauty that could not be rivaled or surpassed by any mortal female. And impossible as it was to believe, she was very plain compared to the rest of the Noble Ones in the Seelie Court.

"You have orders people! Is there a reason you are all staring?" Fury barked.

Everyone turned back to what they were doing as the bickering around the conference table continued. Fury addressed the arguing group of strangely dressed people, while Mari continued to observe the agents below at their screens, through the glass walls in front of her. The technology intrigued her. Having come from an archaic civilization of immortals that relied on magic and medieval weaponry, Mari found the technology of humans to be a magic of its own. She wished she understood the sciences and strategic conversations that were carried on around her every time she was brought into the SHIELD ranks. She understood the elements and Fey magic and illusions, glamours and combat, but never the underlying human condition, or how the human mind worked beyond their innate desire for war and destruction. Although, the longer she spent around humans, the more emotions she experienced, the more she acted like a mortal.

"And who... is this intangible beauty?" a man's voice echoed through the white noise buzzing in her ears. "Hello, Miss..."

"NicEnnis," answered Mari, turning her pale eyes to meet those of the one they called Stark. "Marion NicEnnis, Mr. Stark."

She turned her gaze back to the command center, ignoring the expression of shock on the man's face. If she were to guess, she would say her appearance and otherworldly voice were causing connections to be made in his intellectually gifted brain. He would tell the others, because Tony Stark was unable to hold his tongue. It was common knowledge, apparently.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him taking in her appearance; the wispy dress in buttermilk hue, her thigh length, wild red curls; the luminescent white skin and light green eyes; the glow surrounding her, like a shining star on the darkest of nights. It was when he poked her that the glow dimmed and she took a step away from Stark, but not before sending an electric current from her skin into his finger.

"Ouch!" He flinched, pulling his finger away looking offended. "Unnecessary."

Smirking, Mari turned and walked away to join the Director and the small group of people that had stopped their bickering. There was one face she was quite familiar with, and Mari smiled when she set eyes on Agent Romanoff, "Natasha! I am very glad to see you! The Director did not mention you were on this flying contraption!"

"Mari! It's good to see you, too! It's been months!" greeted Agent Romanoff. They embraced, the mortal woman towering over Mari by several inches. For Natasha, she was willing to invade her own personal space and act as any other human being. "And I wasn't told you would be here, either. Isn't that something?"

Natasha threw a pointed stare at Fury, before she returned Mari's smile. The Director introduced her to the eclectic group before them; Thor, the Norse God; a Captain America, or Steve Rogers - apparently his given name - Mr. Tony Stark, and a shy man with tan skin in an aubergine shirt, Dr. Bruce Banner. The Avengers Initiative was explained to her, as well as each individuals' background and alter-ego in terms of a "hero status." She was still uncertain how any of these mortals could be considered heroes, when they purely appeared as the human race's champions.

She held out her dainty hand to Dr. Banner after being introduced to Mr. Rogers, "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Doctor."

The Doctor was quite handsome to Mari, extremely genteel and softly spoken. A mystery to her in a world of obnoxious mortals and violence around every corner. His dark brown hair and eyes held a secret pain that spoke to her, intrigued her. He seemed like a very old, very wise soul.

A bit of color burned in Banner's cheeks as he shook her hand gently, "Nice to meet you, too, Ms. NicEnnis."

It did not escape her notice the warm tingle that spread through his hand into hers, and the blush creeping up her colorless neck into her own cheeks. She understood Dr. Banner's condition to an extent, most of the agents referring to it as the "giant green rage-monster" whenever the Doctor became angry, or excited in some way, when his pulse reached a certain number or above a certain number. "Exposure to gamma radiation," is what she was told. Intentional exposure that should have killed him, but he had survived, quite lucky for him. Although, it seemed like he viewed it as a tragedy, and as if his life were true misery. It saddened Mari to see the apprehensive look in this quiet man's eyes, and she sympathized with him. She may have the ability to calm a situation or singular individual to manageable awareness and rationality, but it did not mean she was able to use her gift on herself. If she lost control of her internal rage, entire cities could suffer for her lapse, as well.

She held her gentle grip in the Doctor's hand several seconds longer than necessary, feeling out the rush of warmth and the man's inner torment before he averted his eyes and retracted his hand, reluctantly it seemed. She turned her attention to Director Fury, fingers to her cheek as she marveled at the heat a simple blush could radiate.

"Now, Ms. NicEnnis will be Dr. Banner's shadow," explained Fury, motioning between them. "You are all to keep a three foot distance from Ms. NicEnnis... Mr. Stark," warned the Director before returning to his speech, "Unless Ms. NicEnnis gives her express permission or asks, no one on this vessel is to touch her. Am I understood? We have already had a miscommunication today and I do not want anymore!"

"What kind of miscommunication?" asked Stark, eyeing her with blatant curiosity. "Did someone hurt her feelings by not believing in fairies? Or did they put her under a magnifying glass and burn her little wings?"

"More like being chained to the floor with a gamma ray pointed at my chest, Mr. Stark. Something that could have created a fireball twenty miles in circumference. Although, I cannot be entirely certain. I have never been exposed to gamma radiation before," she answered, watching the Doctor's reaction; wide eyes, nervous. "Suffice it to say, if the Director had not intervened when he did, you would all be dust particles in the wind right now, I am sure."

Fury took back control of the discussion, "Like I was saying, no touching. She is our only representative of the fairy courts on U.S. soil, and I will not stand for misconduct in regards to her! Mr. Stark, retract that hand!"

Just for the sake of confirming the rule, Mari sent another little shock through the space between Tony Stark and her own self. She caught the stifled laugh that Dr. Banner hid behind a hand when Tony yelped, and she flashed him a dazzling smile before lowering her eyes. She listened to Director Fury's debriefing of the situation the world found itself in with avid ears until Natasha was ordered to escort Mari and the Doctor back to the laboratory that Banner was utilizing. Stark was to follow after a more private conversation with Fury.

"So, Marion," said Romanoff in her usual bland tone. "You and the Doc have a lot in common."

Mari chanced a glance at Bruce before replying, "How so?"

Agent Romanoff smirked, "When you get angry, entire cities are destroyed."

A small giggle escaped her before she collected her composure, "I gleamed that detail from the introduction. I sympathise with the Doctor... it is not an easy task to control every emotion one experiences."

Another blush crept through his cheeks, but the man remained silent. Agent Romanoff continued, "Doc, did you know that Marion is over four-hundred years old?"

That comment caused a second glance towards Mari, "No, I wasn't aware of that. I wasn't even aware fairies existed. You don't look a day older than...what, 23?"

Another giggle escaped her lips and Mari blushed at the extremely human reaction, "The Sidhe have mastered the art of remaining hidden for centuries, Dr. Banner. Though, it has only been less than half that time for my people. Time passes differently in the Fey Courts. More slowly and sometimes much more quickly."

"That's very interesting," replied Bruce, appearing genuinely intrigued. "How is that possible?"

"I find it hard to explain," said Mari. "I am not as educated with scientific terminology as you mortals are, nor am I able to hold court with the Time Fey. I could show you one day. I am sure a man of your intelligence would find the Seelie Court quite a wonder to behold."

"I'm sure he would," interjected Romanoff, eyeing the two as she swiped a key card and stepped to the side. "Doc can show you around. All you have to do is keep him calm if he can't do it himself Marion. You know what to do. Coulson will be watching via camera."

Mari nodded and followed Bruce into the empty laboratory. Advanced work screens came to life, displaying images and numbers that Mari was unfamiliar with. She perched on a stool, out of the way, and watched Dr. Banner immerse himself into creating an "algorithm" to track the Tesseract and its gamma signature. It was all beyond her scope of comprehension, and besides that, she was merely present to control any hostile situation that might occur around the Doctor until her other abilities were needed elsewhere.

It felt like hours spent in silence before Bruce spoke without looking away from his screen, "So, other than a calming effect, what other abilities does a fairy possess?"

"It differentiates between the Courts, and one's heritage," answered Mari softly. "Mixed blood tends to endow a Fey with multiple abilities. True Seely merely display one, or two at the most. Unseelie are more vicious and violent, and their magicks lean towards nightmarish illusions and turning a being's body inside out. I was born of a mixed-blood warrior Sidhe and a very high ranking Noble One, born a true Seely fey. My upbringing was frowned upon by the Court, but nothing could be said against it."

"So what happens exactly when you lose control?"

"Buildings crumble and the earth burns black... humans disintegrate," Mari described gently. "I can usually contain the damage by creating a shield to hold it in, but there was one time when I failed to accomplish such an easy task. All those innocent mortals wiped from existence..."

"I understand your remorse," said Bruce kindly. He offered her a small smile before turning his attention back to his screen. "I've had similar circumstances, and the guilt follows me everywhere. Eats away at me."

"Guilt," Mari repeated with a frown. "That is what I have been feeling? It's called... 'guilt?'"

He paused from typing to observe her, confused. "You really aren't from this world, are you? I mean... it's obvious you're not, but... you're not used to emotions like ours, correct?"

Shaking her head, Mari turned her eyes towards the computer he was working from, "I know joy and anger... lust... sorrow... but never remorse or love. I have never experienced that sense of being whole, content. You could say that I regret living for so long and never experiencing such wonderful human emotions. I hope to at some point in my life. Find someone to share my immortality with, I mean."

"Maybe some day you will," said Banner, his eyes taking on a haunted expression of sadness and longing.

"I will hold onto the hope," replied Mari. Cocking her head to the side in curiosity, "You appear so melancholy, Dr. Banner. Surely you would have found peace within yourself by now?"

He shook his head, chuckling softly, "Not possible for a monster like me."

"You are no monster," said Mari, here eyes softening as she took in his features, the way his fingers moved boxes around on the screen. "I have stared true monsters - things of nightmares - in the eyes before destroying them. You look nothing like the creatures I have faced."

"Hopefully, you never will see the monster that I can become," said the Doctor, meeting her gaze for a second before returning to his work. "The other guy would rip you limb from limb, and I would regret taking such a beautiful sight from the world."

"I am far from beautiful in my own world, Dr. Banner. In truth, I am barely worth a first glance..."

"Not from where I'm standing," he mumbled, unaware that she still heard him. She let it go, though, allowing him that one opinion.

Silence settled upon them in the lab, and Mari resigned herself to observing and imprinting every wrinkle at the corner of Dr. Banner's eyes, and marvelling at the speckling of grey hairs through his short, messy mop of black curls. She wouldn't lie, even to herself, that she found Dr. Banner appealing, intellectually and physically. The enigma of the being underneath that calm, quiet reserve called her attention back to him, over and over again.

"Mr. Stark is on his way," said Mari suddenly, a mere twenty minutes later. "Prepare... he's quite curious about you. He'll be in a mischievous mood."

"How do you know that?" asked Bruce, pulling the spectacles from his face.

"A gift...but if you don't mind, I believe I will disappear while he is present. He tends to unnerve me, just slightly," whispered Mari, her body turning reflective like water before her glamour mimicked the wall behind her. "I am still here... just out of sight for the moment."

He nodded, "Neat trick."

"It comes useful at times like these..."

Bruce never did get to respond as Tony entered and the usual Stark hijinks ensued. Mari watched cautiously, monitoring the tension in Banner's demeanor and only needing to intervene once during the interaction. She had already been standing behind him, hand poised to keep the eternal rage inside from boiling over.

"Or you'll suit up with the rest of us," said Stark, eyeing Dr. Banner closely.

Bruce scoffed, "I don't get a suit or armor... I'm exposed, like a nerve," the anger was just under the surface and pushing to be released. "It's a nightmare."

"Shhh," breathed Mari as she pressed her palm between the Doctor's shoulder blades and slowly followed the trail of his spine down to the small of his back while Stark continued the conversation. She stepped back when Bruce rolled his shoulders and relaxed, never giving away her position in the lab. Never giving away the fact that she was still present in the lab, at all.

It was when the Captain America entered and Mr. Stark become quite antagonistic towards the man that Mari was forced to lay a thin blanket of calm over the entire room. Eyes fluttered about in their respective sockets before the three men returned to civilized and polite tones.

Dropping the camouflage technique, Mari materialized next to Bruce; a finger grazing down his arm and over the top of his hand. She paused on his pointer finger for a brief moment before breaking contact, eyes averted from his befuddled gaze. She stepped around the work area towards Rogers and Stark with a giddy, mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"I find it lovely that you men are being amenable," Mari quipped, skirting around the two men facing off with each other. "It's useful when working together. Being at each other's throats is never conducive to a team-relationship... Behave while I check in with the Director." Mari nodded at Bruce, "I will find you later, Doctor."

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Please read and review.

And remember,

I own nothing related to the Marvel universe, or the movie The Avengers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: So, the writing has been slow this week (allergies, sinus infection, respiratory infection, lost voice, and fractured my toe). I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I'm trying a different writing style when it comes to multi-chapters, to save GBs on my G-Drive, so I'm not able to properly judge the word count for each chapter. **

**Also, I have a SteveRogers-CapAmerica/OC in the works, and another Banner/OC, as well. So, be on the look outs for those. But I am hoping to keep posting as once every other week. **

**And to the reviewers: Bless you. I'm grateful for the kind words! I cherish every comment left! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone, anything, or the rights to any characters but my own original fictional character, and this plot. Marvel, please don't sue me...**

**Okay, enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter Two

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Mari disappeared in a body of mist that evaporated immediately after leaving the lab for the third time in two days. When she re-materialized, it was outside the cell containing Loki several levels below the engine and turbine rooms. She could see his glaring reflection in the glass wall and quirked her head to the side, though he remained quiet. She had caught a glimpse of him on a monitor in the conference room, but had not desired to draw attention to the fact that she recognized him on some vague level.

Now that she stood before his crystalline cage, Mari felt a sense of having known him once, a long time ago. His presence was a comfort to her, even if his demeanor was extremely hostile. She had listened to Mr. Stark, the Captain, and Dr. Banner speaking of Loki upstairs in the laboratory and became even more curious. She had wanted to see for herself, up-close and personal. A computer screen could not relay the full sensation of familiarity that standing near him could.

Tall and regal, he would tower over her by more than a foot if she were to stand next to him. His black hair was straight, stopping at his shoulders. His pallor was as flawlessly white as hers, cheekbones situated just as high, but with eyes so vividly blue. So blue. Like her mother's eyes; cerulean and dark, like the depths of the most untainted seas.

Her mind flashed to a brother, just older than she, his skin blue and eyes full of mischief. Siblings playing in the dark, murky marshes of the Unseelie terrain. She had been so young; barely speaking or walking by then as their mother watched them carefully. And then her brother was gone. Carried away by his own father to the furthest reaches of the Unseelie realm, back to the kingdom of the Frost Giants. She reached out and cried for her brother, but her mother held her back, "You no longer have a brother, Marion...He will not survive this night..."

And then it clicked.

"Lucie?" gasped Mari, stepping closely to the glass door. "Lucie, is that really you?"

At that, he turned and rushed the glass, standing before her, the tip of his nose pressed against the glass, "Who are you? How do you know that name?!"

"It was the only word I could say," she sniffled, her hand drifting up the glass to meet his. "I couldn't say Lucian -"

"-because you were so young," finished Loki, his eyes wide in shock that such a trivial piece of information slipped past his lips. He shook his head but stepped closer to the glass separating them, "No. No, I was left on a cliff in Jotunheim to die as an infant. I was raised by Odin! I am a God!"

"You are my brother!" Mari smiled sadly, "Jotunheim, Frost Giants - a realm and Fey of the Unseelie Court that Odin refused to acknowledge! We have different sires, but you were born of a true fey in the Seelie Court! We are flesh and blood, Loki! If I had known you were alive...I would have moved entire dimensions to bring you back!"

Without thinking further, Mari evaporated into her signature mist and reappeared in the cell behind Loki. As he turned to face her, she rushed him. She leapt and wrapped her legs high around his mid-section, locking her arms around his neck as she clung to him. She could feel the tension in him, how stiff and uncertain he was by this display of human-affection. He tentatively closed his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest. Her curls covered his face, and she could hear him inhale the perfume of sea-water and sunshine that always lingered around her. Doing the same, she recognized the scent of crisp, cold air and ice wafting from him. He smelt of winter; snow and wind and frost.

"You smell exactly the same," breathed Loki, hugging her more tightly. "How is that possible?"

"It's in our nature. Mother never could explain properly. Our scents are as unique as we are," replied Mari, tears falling onto his shoulder. A wave of sadness washed over her as she realized he had to remain in this prison, caged like a rabid creature to be sentenced to death. She couldn't save him, not unless he redeemed himself. "I cannot free you, Loki. Not unless you let go of this vendetta."

"I am a king. I will rule this planet of lesser beings," said Loki, a dangerous edge to his voice.

Mari shook her head and dissolved into a body of mist that appeared outside of the cell, "If you were to turn away from this tragic war you are so bent on, I could plead your case. I would take you to the Sidhe, but I doubt you would cease with your search for ultimate power. I beg you, Lucie...stop this madness."

He slammed a fist against the glass, "NO! Either you stand with me, Mari, or you are no sister of mine!"

She shook her head, eyes turned downwards as she wiped at the tears still falling. How could she possibly unleash such a thing on the human race? She was Seely Sidhe, the Fey that helped and protected the mortals, even if her people looked down their noses at the humans. He had slayed so many innocent mortals without a second thought, but he had not been raised as she. Loki had been reared by Odin, learned in the art of war and ruling a civilization. He was filled with rage, a thirst for vengeance that could not be quenched.

Pressing a hand to the glass, she stared up at her brother with remorse and sorrow; her glow had dimmed to nothing. She appeared like any other mortal woman, "Please, Lucie...for me? This war is pointless. You are heir to the Unseelie throne, why rule the humans? Cease this insanity, brother. Please."

"Leave," snarled Loki, stepping away from the glass. "If you believe your sisterly act and bouts of weeping will cure me of this, you are deeply mistaken, Mari. You are just as pathetic as our mother! You would throw me aside for the sake of the mortals, just as our mother threw me to the Frost Giants with the intention of my death! So leave! GO! Get out of my sight, you pathetic little girl!"

He watched her with cold eyes as she stepped away from the glass, lip trembling as she tried to staunch the flow of tears. A wind whipped her curls about, one hand pressed over her heart as immense sadness ripped through her body. It disheartened her to imagine what caused such a cruel change in the caring brother she had adored at such a young age. Unfortunately, he left her no option. She could not with good conscience help him if it could save thousands - millions - of guiltless, unsuspecting humans.

Mari turned and began walking towards the exit when Loki stopped her, "And tell the monster...I say hello."

"He is a good soul," snapped Mari, turning back to look at him. "Whatever you have planned for him, I will intervene. Leave him out of this mess."

"Oh, but what fun would that be? Especially when I can smell the stench of attachment you already have for him. You stink of him!"

The line of her full lips thinned as she pressed the hard together, face set in a stubborn glare before she turned her back on Loki and left the secured area. As she passed through the sliding, steel doors she evaporated before Director Fury could stop her for questioning. She rematerialized outside on the deck of the aircraft, barely glancing at Thor as she stepped up to the edge of the flying machine. Dark grey clouds whirled about around the aircraft, pouring rain and echoing with the clap of thundering lightning heading towards the earth below.

Letting out a shriek of a scream, Mari collapsed to her knees and let herself become the chaos in the sky.

It seemed too unfair in her mind. To find the last of her flesh and blood, only to choose a weak race of non-immortals over him. She had never known her father, killed by her mother; and her mother dead these last few decades, murdered by the Wild Hunt for treason against the Queen of the Seely Court. Loki was her only family left, and here she was betraying him like everyone else had done since he was too young to realize or understand. And she could not save him if he refused to be saved. It pained her. It made her feel weak, helpless.

She didn't want to feel like this. She wanted to feel in control of something; to experience a sense of calm and careless elation, not this depressing rage shattering her piece by piece.

She wanted to forget this horrid day.

Dense arms wrapped around her, picking her up from the metal landing to carry her back inside. Mari sniffled and clung to the Norse God, feeling very much in a childish mood as he remained silent to allow her the time to settle down. She may be over four-hundred years, but she sometimes felt like a mere human-teenager. Even if she looked as though she were in her early twenties. And like a sullen, snivelling teenager, she clung to a consoling body and indulged her sorrows without caring if matured adults were watching with pity in their eyes.

Thor never said a word as he cradled her to his chest on the journey from the outside deck to the conference room overlooking the command center. He sat with her in his lap, comforting her like a child while Director Fury stared, furious, at her.

"You've been withholding some vital information, Marion," said Fury, his tone dripping authority. "Not only did you lie, telling me you were low in Sidhe ranks, but that our prime opponent in this mess...is your brother!"

"What?" asked Thor, pulling Mari away from his chest long enough to look at her confusedly.

It only caused her to fall into another fit of sobbing, curling tightly into a ball on the bulging bond's lap, "I was told he was dead!" Sniffle, sob, "I did not know until I achieved a closer look!" Sniffle, sniffle, "I have not seen him since we were barely old enough to speak!"

"And the fact that you withheld information on your status in the Fey courts?!" barked Fury, clenching a fist at his side.

"I did not desire your intentions of caging me for your own diplomatic use! Or being experimented on," choked Mari, working to control the waves of sadness drowning her from the inside. "I did not trust you, nor do I now! I merely wished to keep my status as a consultant when needed. I would have been able to come and go between your world and my own - that is all I wanted when I told you I was lesser fey! Besides, I will not be the one to take the throne! I declined my Aunt Titania..."

"Well, this changes things, Marion!" yelled Fury, pacing back and forth along the other side of the conference table. "We can't keep you in our world, no matter what rank you hold in your own, but we don't like being goddamn lied to! I don't like being goddamn lied to! What else have you been hiding from me?"

Mari sniffled, letting out a shuddering breath as she shook her head, "Nothing else, Director Fury. I apologize for not telling you of my possible relation to Loki before I spoke with him...I was curious. He felt familiar."

"You are not to visit him again, Marion. That is an order."

Her head snapped to meet Fury's gaze, eyes wide and fearful, "But if I could persuade him from this venture-"

"No," Fury cut her off. "An order, Marion. You are not to visit Loki; no talking, no touching. You will be denied access to that level, and if I see you...mist yourself in there without permission, I will build a goddamn cage for you, as well!"

The resentment and anger she felt at the Director's command helped push the sorrow away. Climbing off of Thor's lap, she pulled the hem of her soaked dress back down to her knees. Her hair was almost straight from the heavy wetness of the rain she created outdoors, and she knew the small points of her ears could be seen peeking out through the dripping curtains of auburn and gold and brown. She stomped her foot like a petulant child and snipped out a curt, "Fine," before leaving the room.

In the corridors, she took the necessary stairs and turns back to the laboratory. Her skin crackled with electric energy and she didn't bother to search for a cloth to dry herself off with. She simply allowed the gusts of wind circling her to do the work for her as she gracefully journeyed through the halls, face completely void of any emotion. By the time she reached Dr. Banner's lab, Agent Coulson had sidled up next to her as an escort, as well as keep an extremely close eye on her if she turned destructive.

She spoke to no one as she entered the lab, choosing to perch on a stool near the door while Coulson kept the required three foot distance. The whipping wind died down and she remained almost catatonic as she fixated on Dr. Banner, watching him with a blank expression. He returned her attentions with a nervous glance. Captain Rogers resigned to looking at Agent Coulson with a look of confusion, while Stark inched closer to the brooding Mari. In an act of warning, she sent out an electric shock at Tony, hitting him in the thigh without looking at him.

"Ow, what was that for?" whined Stark, clutching his appendage and glaring at her as if offended. "I didn't even do anything this time!"

"It was your intentions, Mr. Stark. Should Agent Coulson remind you of the Director's orders?" Mari said flatly. "One more step and I will wound something far more precious on your person."

Cupping himself protectively, Tony hurried back to his computer screen, directing a question to Coulson, "What's her problem?"

Agent Coulson shrugged, "Let's just say it's been a daunting afternoon. Best to just let her be."

"What, did someone die or something?" remarked Tony inconsiderately.

Mari wasn't sure why, but the comment caused another set of tears to well in her eyes and her body to tremble as a fresh wave of guilt crashed over her. She let her eyes turn downward, a curtain of curls falling over her face. She didn't want to be seen crying like a weak and feeble woman.

"Stark!" snapped Rogers, clearly picking up on her distress. "Be quiet!"

"She's four hundred years old, who could still be alive? Gosh, fairies sure are emotional things-"

"Tony, stop," warned Banner, eyeing the trembling Mari cautiously as the tears trailed down her cheeks. "This isn't the time-"

"How is it not the time, Banner?! Did she find out Loki's her long lost brother or something? I know that would upset me-"

A gust of howling wind around Mari silenced everyone else in the lab as she misted and appeared in the corner behind Dr. Banner. Visibly shaking, she wrapped her arms around mid-section as she tried to reign in her emotions, which seemed to be bouncing all over the place that day. Back against the wall, she slid down to the floor and watched her reflection in the glass window. She never noticed Fury, Natasha and Thor enter the lab, nor did she really care. Her mind was still on Loki and his ridiculous thirst for revenge.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

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**Author's Note: in the spirit of Halloween, I'm uploading the next two chapters! I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Marvel, only the plot of this story and my OFC.**

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Mari felt as though she had been locked in the Doctor's room for months. Since her outburst just two weeks ago, she had been confined to the remote living quarters assigned to Dr. Banner while he worked tirelessly with Mr. Stark in the lab. The only interactions she derived from her isolation were from the scarce visits from Natasha and Agent Coulson. Dr. Banner rarely entered his rooms, sleeping in the lab most of the time.

When Bruce did return to his rooms, it was in an exhausted state. Stumbling in, he would peel off his plum shirt and discard his spectacles before collapsing onto his bed. Those rare nights, or midday naps, Mari would watch him sleep. Occasionally, if he seemed to be suffering from a nightmare, she would crawl onto the bed and comb her fingers through his messy curls until he relaxed as she blanketed him in a cocoon of calm and warmth.

That was how she was spending this turbulent night; front pressed against the Doctor's back, running her fingers over his hair to push his nightmare away and allowing a steady trickle of calm to settle over him. The aircraft had been jostling about during the night, lightning and hurricane force winds attempting to knock the SHIELD aircraft from the sky to the ocean below. Locked inside the room with Dr. Banner, there was nothing Mari could do to disperse the violent storm.

Sweeping a rather stubborn curl from his forehead, Mari lowered her dainty looking nose and inhaled the tangible aroma that lingered on his tan skin. He smelled of India in the best sense; sweet spices and heat with a musky undertone that was distinctly male. He smelled like sheer bliss to her and found it quite easy to take comfort in this gentle mortal.

If only she could ignore the intriguing attraction she felt towards him; the innate protective feeling she had when it regarded him.

He was beyond obtainable, completely off-limits as a consultant for SHIELD and a mortal, as well. He lived in a bubble of perpetual misery, avoiding any form of human attachment to keep everyone around and his own self safe. He wallowed over his condition, absorbed in a search for the cure to free him from this self-imposed solitude. It made her heart weep for him, understanding his reasoning and the stress of holding back one's emotions to keep from destroying one's surroundings. It saddened her to see him so isolated, a kind soul that craved the love and connection with another that he witnessed daily all around him.

"So lonely," mused Mari quietly. "So filled with inescapable rage. If it were in my power to cure you, I would gladly do it without hesitation. If only to see you smile and witness your happiness, Bruce Banner."

Leaning forward, she pressed a chaste kiss to the skin beside his ear. She lay there, watching him sleep for several moments more before rising from the bed gracefully and misting out of his rooms, leaving the perfume of sea-spray and sunshine in her wake.

The pale peach of her attire, a thigh-length tunic of shimmering silk that flowed out behind her in tapered, tattered layers, appeared gossamer under the fluorescent lighting inside Loki's cell. Her feet bare and cold against the metal floor; her nipples reacting to the chill in the air, highly visible against the flimsy, supple material of her dress. Her glow had yet to return, leaving her with the appearance of a very angelic mortal, not ethereal as she was used to. She looked merely elegant, human. Curls piled on her head, with long tendrils here and there framing her delicate features.

Her eyes were soft, but firm around the edges.

"Come to persuade me from my chosen path again, Mari?" asked Loki, standing and crossing the distance between them. "I thought I made myself clear the last time? Nothing will deter me from ruling these snivelling humans!"

Shaking her head, Mari answered softly; her voice having lost its sound of bells and bliss, "I came to indulge your questions. You must have so many about why you were taken away? Why mother sent you off to your death? You were misled for so long, I thought it a kindness to give you peace of mind... And I found myself in deepest sorrows missing my brother. You're all I have left, Loki. I am hardly welcome in my own Court, and mother is dead. I have been just as alone as you, for far longer than you may care to imagine."

He scoffed as Thor and Fury entered the chamber outside the cell, Fury looking quite livid at her blatant disregard for his orders. Loki sneered as he spat his reply to her, "Take your kindness and leave, sister. I have no use for your petty attempts to earn forgiveness."

"No," she said, grabbing his hands in a tight grip. "Not until you listen! This is a futile endeavour, Loki! I am begging you, as your sister who cared deeply - still cares immensely - for you! Let go of this childish notion of vengeance and join me," she pointed at Thor through the glass. "Set aside your rivalry and mend your friendship with your brother! He misses you, I feel his sorrow for your absence! He may not be blood to you and I, but he can be our family! I will do anything you ask if you would cease with this ridiculous scheme!"

Sighing, Loki pulled her into a close embrace. She could feel the lie of it in her head, but clung to him for just another moment before he took hold of her throat and slammed her against the glass door. She flinched upon impact, jaw clenched in a grimace as Loki breathed heavily down at her.

"Loki, release her! She means you no harm!" Thor's masculine baritone boomed through the two-way intercom. "Mari is right! End this madness, brother! There more important things than waging pointless battles!"

"You look to exploit discord so you do not feel as alone, but creating fights and ruling worlds will only mask the fact that you desire a place to truly belong," added Mari, the hand around her throat closing around the windpipe roughly. She peered up into Loki's cruel, angry eyes. "Please... We could be your family. We could be where you belong. We both care about you," she gasped, now struggling to breath as Loki applied more pressure, "We only want your happiness."

"LIES!" hissed Loki, cutting off her air supply completely. "Happiness is not what waits for me if I give up this venture! Imprisonment is what my dear brother has planned, and I apologize sister, but I will not be caged again for putting lesser beings in their proper place!"

"Loki!" bellowed Thor, a fist pounding against the glass door. "You're killing her! Stop!"

Eyes rolling up into her head, Mari focused the last of her energy into misting only herself from the cell before she blacked out. She felt disappointment just before she lost consciousness, her attempt to reason with Loki being a huge failure. The fact that there was nothing she could say to permeate the thick layer of hate and long burning resentment around his heart.

When she woke, she was back in Dr. Banner's rooms with the man himself watching her closely. Agent Coulson stood guard at the door. Mari focused on the softening crinkles at the corners of Bruce's eyes and the warmth of his hand in her grip. Curled on her side, she sighed - a very human habit she realized she had picked up. She was unsure of what to say as the silence stretched on uncomfortably. When she blacked out, she had expected to wake up in her own enclosure for her indiscretion towards Fury; not in Dr. Banner's bed, tucked in and watched over by an actual person. It only served to endeared him more in her eyes.

"How much time did the Director add to my solitary confinement?" she asked sullenly, noticing her voice raspy and as soft as a whisper. "My attempt to talk my destructive brother out of war failed spectacularly on top of disobeying his explicit orders. I'm sure the number has leaped to months instead of weeks... Am I correct?"

"Thor argued him out of making your imprisonment in this room permanent," answered the Doctor. "Actually," he used his unoccupied hand to lift his spectacles from his face, "Thor, with the helpful voice of Agent Coulson and I, talked Fury into allowing you a semi-limited freedom."

She blinked, uncertain if she comprehended at all what the Doctor just said.

"You are allowed to visit Loki, but with a required escort and you are forbidden from entering the cell," explained Coulson from his position inside the doorway. "You are to shadow Dr. Banner every second of the day and night, and I will supervise when needed. As of this moment, you are both responsible for each other. Thor and Agent Romanoff will also be keeping a close eye on the two of you."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes - another very human trait she had picked up - and squeezed the Doctor's hand, "So, an alternative imprisonment..."

"Yeah, pretty much," said Dr. Banner.

Agent Coulson stifled a grin while Dr. Banner chuckled and gave her pale hand a gentle squeeze. He pulled his hand from hers and slowly pushed her onto her back. He gave her a small smile as he turned her chin left and right, examining the harsh bruising around her slender neck. He touched the mottled skin with soft fingers and she couldn't stop herself from noticing the tiny scar under the Doctor's cheekbone. Or how kind and warm his eyes were as he worked. Without thinking, Mari reached up and grazed the scar's length with a light fingertip, a curiously breathless expression lacing her features.

Dr. Banner stopped mid-examination and stared down at her, nervous as a flighty bird. When he didn't pull away or stop her from tracing the discoloured scar, she trailed her finger over the line of she cheekbone and down to his jaw. She followed the jawline to his lips and hovered her fingertips over them, scared of him fleeing from the intensity of the moment. She could see the hesitation in his eyes and feel the tension in his body even though they weren't touching. His heart rate was starting to race, breath hitched in his chest and she knew he was worried about the other guy coming out to play.

Taking a chance, she unleashed a small flow of calm to silence the green man inside Dr. Banner's mind.

"Ahem," interrupted Coulson, looking very uncomfortable. "I'll just be outside."

It was the first time she had been completely alone with the Doctor where either of them were asleep. Now he was awake and she was searching his eyes for any sign of smash or flight. On instinct, she closed the distance and touched her fingertips to his bottom lip. The skin was smooth with grooves from pursing his lips one too many times; full and soft and she imagined, only for a brief moment, how those lips would feel pressed against her own.

The Doctor's breathing was shallow and quick, his heart thumping against his chest so loudly she could hear it. So far, no Angry Green Giant could be seen, and she kept the flow of calm steady to keep it that way.

"Must be strange waking up to me watching over you," breathed Dr. Banner, eyes glancing at her lips before returning to her gaze. "I've felt you... stroking my hair. I listen when you think I'm still sleeping."

Eyes wide, she opened her mouth to reply but no sound came out.

Dr. Banner continued, "Are you really that selfless? Are you really that kind?"

A strangled noise erupted from her chest and died in her throat; she opened and closed her mouth like a fish, unable to speak. Instead, she settled for nodding while she traced his lips and line of his nose. What did she possibly say in answer without risking rejection? The Fey were a race not adept to advances being turned down. She had experienced it plenty of times, but the thought of this man - this one mortal man - not returning her still-developing feelings was terrifying.

"Why do you break the no touching rule for me?" He asked, searching her features for an answer before she spoke. "You are eerily kind when you should be scared...Can I?"

He motioned with his hand, and she nodded before understanding what he meant.

She gasped when he stroked his thumb across her cheek, eyes fluttering closed as she savored the moment.

Unlike Mr. Stark, he had asked. Unlike Thor, he had asked. This quiet, gentle, respectful man had asked permission and it felt so nice to feel the pad of his thumb stroking her skin. That small pad of thumb was incredibly warm and comforting. And she could smell the cologne of Indian spices and soap wafting from his skin.

She blushed, glow returning.

"You run as hot as I do," he mused out loud.

He closed his eyes when her fingertips hovered at his eyebrows. The tension in his body was completely gone and he leaned into her feather light touch. Mari was transfixed by his rugged features and tan skin, the rough rumble of his voice. So used to flawlessly smooth, pale skin, vibrant colored eyes and hair, that Dr. Bruce Banner was such a drastically wonderful change.

She finally found her voice, breathy and raspy, "If it was in my power..."

"You would cure me," he finished, eyes still closed. "Just to see me smile?"

She nodded, rubbing her cheek against his stilled thumb, "You are wrapped in a shroud of loneliness, Dr. Banner... always distant, but I see the painful longing for basic human relationships, contact... You hardly smile. You do not enjoy life anymore, blinded by your own misery and constant fear of harming others."

She opened her eyes and took in the relaxed features of his face, "If I am destined to one last deed of altruism in this world, Dr. Banner... I would use that last deed on you. You, who deserves happiness more than any other mortal on this Earth. I wish to see you enjoying life again. If I could, I would cure you without a second of consideration."

"You are too generous with your words," breathed Dr. Banner. "What is it about you that makes me feel like this? Are you doing this?"

She shook her head and cupped his cheek, emboldened by the moment. He opened his eyes and stared into her sea-green eyes, "No, Bruce Banner. I do not hold the power to bend one's emotions to my will, only calm a raging storm or bring it forth...Lust... You have to understand the emotion in order to manipulate it.

"My abilities do not relate to emotional control. Settling a storm cloud simply flows over into turbulent situations of the human condition. When I calm your green friend, I'm merely giving him the peace of mind that seems impossible to instill in you. I desire nothing more than to do that for you... Bruce. All of that aside, I would never want a magically created experience. It would only ever be a lie. I use my gifts in honest circumstances."

"Because you desire me?"

She nodded, watching his brown depths fearfully, "I find myself drawn to you, the mystery and loneliness you cloak yourself in. You are so refreshingly different from what I have spent centuries surrounded by. You, Bruce Banner, entrance me..."

At that, he pulled away from her. He stood from the bed, shaking his head and grabbing up his spectacles from the nightstand. He paced at the end of the bed for a few moments, running a troubled hand through his messy curls and shaking his head in reply to something on his mind. Every so often he would stop and look at her before resuming his pacing.

Pushing herself into a sitting position, Mari watched him with hurt eyes. The tension in the room was thick, and she felt as though he was about to let her down gently. She had not even kissed him, and it felt as though he was going to break her heart. She found she quite disliked this aspect of the human condition.

Not knowing actual love, Mari was surprised by how painful rejection was; the waiting and fretting over what words would be used, how they would be spoken. Will he be kind, or will his words cut deeply, be cruel?

He sighed, glancing her way again before stopping and turning to face her, "You're a fairy...I'm a monster. I can't even jog without risking a visit from the other guy. You wonder why I distance myself from others? I can't possibly be with a woman, because the second my heart rate reaches over ninety-something, she'll be dead! I'm a monster and everyone is better off without me around. There is no rational reason why you can be attracted to me. I'm a monster. A monster! I. Am. A. Monster!"

"You are no monster, Dr. Banner," rasped Mari. "I am more than capable of handling your... Hulk. Have you already forgotten? I have a natural calming effect, one that can be increased specifically for whatever situation may arise."

"That's not the point -"

"It most certainly is the point!" Mari wheezed, her vocal chords still healing and unable to properly yell at the stubborn man. "If you refuse to listen, I will not hesitate to show you..."

"No," Banner sternly replied, metaphorically putting his foot down. "You would risk thousands of lives just to prove a point?! No. It would never change my mind... you should forget these feelings. Find someone else, someone better - who deserves you - and just forget about me."

A glint flashed through her eyes, turning them a darker green. She stood from the bed and closed the distance between them. She took his hands in hers, misting them both down into the heavily reinforced gymnasium and training area. Several agents looked on in curiosity before Mari ordered them out. Her voice still healing proved ineffectual, she created a small lightning storm that sent the agents running.

Mari took a deep, calming breath as Dr. Banner looked incredulously at her. A silvery shield encased them, rushing outwards by several yards, and high enough above to provide more space for the Hulk when she brought him forth. Curls fluttering about her face, Mari pulled Banner to her and brushed her fingers along his jawline, while her free hand divested him of his shirt. With every feather light stroke down his face, she gently pulled the other guy to the surface; antagonizing him and fueling his rage. She wanted to prove her point, but she didn't want to cause the Doctor a painful transformation.

"Stop," grunted Banner, his voice a mixture of different octaves as his skin turned green and muscles bulged. "STOP IT!"

Her eyes softened, but she still continued to push the transformation until a panting, green giant stood before her, seething and roaring.

A balled fist made to grab her, but she misted out before he could reach her. She appeared on his shoulder, thighs straddling the massive appendage. One hand cupping his cheek, the other stroking his hair, she whispered a sweet, "Shhh," and unleashed a heavy flow of relaxing calm through the Hulk's rage-filled mind. The Hulk's eyes fluttered close and opened again, breathing slowly only slightly, but his demeanor transitioned almost instantly. After several minutes, Mari had the large green alter-ego of Dr. Banner laying on the mat-lined floor of the training room as she straddled his chest, stroking one giant pectoral muscle.

Gazing into the Hulk's eyes, Mari smiled, feeling quite experimental, "I wonder how this personality would react to alternative reactions?" He shook his head, raising a hand to grab her and lift her off. She merely held that one hand with both of hers, bringing it to her cheek to rub against it, "We already know what happens with this side is angry...What about lust? Or sorrow? Or giddiness?"

He shook his head again, but made no move to stop her. Mari knew that, in the furthest parts of Hulk's mind, he was quite interested to see, as well. As relaxed as the Hulk was at that moment, she was aware that Banner's logical-self was present amongst the hyperactive thoughts of the green gargantuan. The problem was, Hulk was in control and Banner was merely an observant. The Hulk was the one intrigued by her suggestion. Even if she only meant it as an experiment; she had no desire to take advantage of Dr. Banner in this way, especially while his green-alter-ego was presently running the show.

Sliding off of the enormous expanse of torso, Mari asked the Hulk to sit up as she exited the shielded chamber surrounding them. Finding the panel that controlled the music playing in the background, she flipped through the radio channels until she gave up and looked through the digital portion. She had a vague understanding of how the "ipod" worked, but it still stumped her the first few attempts. After several long moments, she found music that reminded her of the Seelie Court gatherings and the Gaelic sounds of home.

"Florence and the Machine," she read out loud, giving a nod of approval before pressing the button to play the songs in the list.

She entered the silvery dome and smiled at the inquisitive Hulk waiting for her to return. As the familiar drums bounced off of the padded walls, creating perfect acoustics while she grabbed hold of the bulging green man's thumb. She twirled and bounced on her feet, laughing as he grinned, watching her dancing with his hand, as if he were escorting her around the makeshift dance floor. She danced circles around him at one point, wild red curls flying around her, while the Hulk clapped, appearing quite entertained.

After several moments, once the song ended and before the next began, Hulk stood at his full height and let her hold onto his hand as she twirled about, making the small train of her thin dress flow out behind her while her hair followed suit. It made him smile and laugh in a childish manner, his intellect that of a toddler, most likely. Or a very dim teenager. Mari was going to lean towards small child when it regarded the Hulk's mental capacities. Not as an insult, but merely as an observation. It was why she wouldn't attempt anything more than basic emotions, less the lust. It was too immoral and, quite frankly, repulsive.

Regarding Hulk, she was starting to see how childlike this personality truly was. Setting aside the uncontrolled rage and penchant for smashing everything in his path, Hulk had the possibility of growing up in the proverbial sense. Dr. Banner just hadn't noticed the potential for growth yet. And at the moment, Mari was certain that he was beginning to see the capabilities the Hulk possessed as she slowly stopped the flow of calm into his psyche. Even after the relaxing pheromone was gone, the Hulk persona remained quite controlled and docile; a testament to Mari's years developing and restraining her abilities.

"What the goddamn hell do you think you're doing, Marion?" barked Fury, flanked by Captain Rogers, Agents Coulson and Romanoff, and Mr. Stark.

"Proving a point, Director," answered Mari, her voice less raspy than an hour before. "An experiment to show Dr. Banner how manageable his alternative self can be. He's proved far more intelligent than anyone has given him credit-"

"I don't give a flying fuck, Marion! You put this entire helicarrier at risk by pulling out the Hulk! Turn him back, now! Dr. Banner is needed in the lab, where he belongs! Not dancing about like a... you!"

The Hulk took offense, raising a colossal green fist and charging at the Director. The elaphantine brute collided with her shield-dome, rebounding off before attempting to get through again. After several more tries, he managed to shatter the silvery cage. Natasha had already disappeared the second Hulk's demeanor shifted from giddy to hostile. Fury stood rooted to the spot, appearing quite terrified as the furious giant gained speed. Stark had pulled Rogers out of the way, grinning like the feline that caught the canary.

Apparently, Mr. Stark had been waiting far past his ability to remain patient, just for the chance to witness Dr. Banner's transformation. The fact that the Hulk was focused only on Director Fury made Stark more avid in while watching the impending attack. Tony Stark looked as if he were a small child locked in a toy shop.

Unfortunately for Mr. Stark's entertainment, Mari misted in between Fury and the Hulk before any physical contact could happen. With a soft smile and her hands up defensively, Hulk slowed and stopped in front of his new friend. Huffing and growling, he lowered the fist and fixated on Mari.

"Hulk want smash. Hulk don't want leave," he articulated. "Hulk have fun."

"Hulk can stay for one more dance, and then Dr. Banner has responsibilities to handle," offered Mari sweetly, taking pride in the grin spreading over the Hulk's face. "Does that sound fair?"

Hulk nodded. Stark whimpered. Captain Rogers let out a breath. And Fury fumed, unable to do anything more than watch; or risk death by an enraged, toddler-ish giant.

Romanoff was still nowhere to be seen.

Mari clapped and Hulk followed suit as she started another light-footed jig, spinning around because he so enjoyed the way her hair fanned out around her.

The others observed in awe at Mari while she entertained the Hulk. She guided him about the training room as he attempted to follow her footsteps in the jig. It was astonishing to all that witnessed how enchanted by Mari the Hulk was. The amount of mental presence she instilled in the green lug, how much control she provided his conscious self, floored everyone surveying the scene.

It was miraculous.

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**Thank you for reading!**

**Please, review if you have a comment! **


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

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**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Marvel Universe, only the plot and OFC.  
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**Author's Note: I hope you enjoy! Chapter Five should be up next week, or the week after. **

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Angry voices, all rising in volume to be heard over everyone else. The argumentative nature of the situation had caused a pounding in her head. Not even her naturally relaxant nature, or the full-force blanket of calm she had filled the laboratory with, stopped the fighting between the Avengers.

And then BOOM!

An explosion destroyed a portion of the helicarrier, including a propeller and engine room, and the laboratory. Mari had been sitting on a stool in her corner of the lab until the attack on the SHIELD aircraft. Unlike Agent Hill and the others, Mari had been thrown through the floor-to-ceiling glass window looking out at the blue sky and pearlescent clouds.

That was the last moment she remembered before she plummeted to the Earth.

When she woke, it was in a field not far from where Thor landed. He found her while searching for his magical hammer. Her injuries seemed inferior compared to the chaotic attack on the helicarrier. Though, with the Norse God's help, she managed to listen while pushing her shoulder back into its socket.

According to him, Captain Rogers and Mr. Stark had remained relatively unscathed; Romanoff and Fury had also been lucky, though Natasha being trapped in the server area and aerial hangar with the Hulk had left the agent rather shaken up after Thor stepped in to save her. Bruce had last been seen lunging at a figher pilot in the open hangar, taking the jet down with him.

The only reason why Thor had appeared earthbound was due to Loki's escape and Thor's subsequent imprisonment in the Hulk-cell. Apparently, in a moment of sibling loathing, Loki had overrode the security measures and dropped his adoptive brother into the sky to free fall to the ground hundreds of miles below.

That was the last she saw of Thor. He had briefly summarised what he knew had happened before whipping his hammer about and soaring away. She had been left to search out Dr. Banner on her own. A feat that proved quite easy with her abilities. A quick misting out to reappear before him as he prepared to take off on a motorcycle that was obviously not owned by him.

He had refused her offer to transport him quickly to New York, located an hour or more away, purely on principle. He had spent enough time already - six days to be exact - avidly avoiding looking, speaking, or basically interacting with her in any way, shape, or form. He was still adamant that she should look elsewhere for human companionship.

The stubborn arse.

A small, gloomy cloud high above in the sky had drizzled down on her as she watched him ride off on the puttering motorbike. Off to New York where the final battle had commenced, where she should be. If, for anything else, than to attempt talking her brother out of destroying this planet. Even if it was a hopeless cause by this point.

In seconds, she appeared before Loki, bloodied and covered in straw-grass and dirt. They stared at each other, each equally suspicious and cautious, as the battle outside Stark Tower waged on. Neither spoke, both gazing upon the other with either an expression of complete sadness or gloating pride.

"Loki," breathed Mari; her ethereal, bell-like mixture of harmonies and melodies echoing through the massive room. "Please...If you stop this now, Thor and I will work incessantly until all is forgiven. It does not have to end with such devastation and so much death."

"You... do not understand."

"I understand perfectly. I am merely wise enough to know how this will end. I am begging, Loki! I lost you once, please do not leave me without my brother. You are all that I have left. Do the right thing; send the Chitauri back and accept your punishment! Odin can only be lenient on you for taking the path of penitence!"

"No, he will not!"

Mari sighed, "You forget that he still considers you a son. If you show remorse, he will show you leniency!"

"But I am not his son!" shouted Loki, rushing up to her. His nose brushed against her forehead, breath vold against face. "And he has made it pristinely clear that I was merely a pet with the family name!"

She shook her head, "You are letting grief and anger distort your memories!"

"I am seeing it all clearly for the first time!"

"You are too occupied acting like a petulant child to see the truth, brother!"

"I believe you are the one acting like a spoilt child, sister." He sneered, taking a step away from her, "Go back to your precious mortal. Stay out of this fight."

"He doesn't want," she yelled, pausing as her voice thickened with the grief and the pain. "He doesn't want me! No one wants me! I am as lonely in this realm, same as you! Can you not see? I cannot leave you to this fate! YOU ARE ALL THAT I HAVE LEFT!"

"Then join me," urged Loki, stepping forward to embrace her. "Help me win this battle and never be alone again, Mari!"

"No," whimpered Mari, as she clung to Loki. "These mortals are innocents in need of protection, not tyranny. I want to stay by your side, if only to indulge the petty desire to belong to a family... but I cannot abide by the devastation of this world. My conscience could never handle the blood that would stain my hands."

His fingers dug into her back, and she could feel the wave of chilling sorrow welling up within him as he held her close. It surrounded him, the awful reality that she cared for him more than words could possibly express in the face of their decisively different paths. There was an understanding that her opinion and familial ties to him would never change because he refused to take the better road, the good road. He was realizing that, just because she was opposing him, didn't mean she would ever stop caring for him; would always be his family.

And he knew her decision would never change the developing bond for her that grew within him.

She wondered if this was a form of love? The love between family, something her mother had never shown her - was this what it felt like?

He pressed a chaste kiss into her wild curls before pushing her away. His tone was thick with emotion, "Leave, Mari. Put distance between yourself and this place; far, far away. Return to the Sidhe realm and forget your Doctor. Forget this planet! Just go, quickly! I do not desire your death on my hands, sister."

She shook her head, "I cannot leave... I have to stay. I want to see what happens... I want to stay nearby. I am a warrior, I have to fight and..."

"And watch over your Doctor," Loki finished for her. "If he rebuked you, he is not worthy-"

"I could not live with myself if he did not survive long enough to enjoy life once more! That is all I wish for him. Even if he denies me. I think I care for him deeply, Loki."

Rolling his eyes, Loki scoffed, but he held his tongue. He merely nodded and waved her off with a wink and a smirk. An unspoken agreement to allow her this request, even if he found her desires lowly and repugnant.

She blinked tears from her eyes and smiled, "Thank you! Thank you!"

She was gone seconds before Thor rushed in to battle Loki. When she materialized twenty minutes later, it was on a rooftop overlooking the street where the motley crew of Avengers united. It had taken her a while to locate them all.

She watched Dr. Banner ride up on the motorbike, and Mr. Stark in his metal suit lure the leviathan directly to the group. Her chest constricted as the Doctor walked forward to meet the aerial monster, transforming smoothly before striking the large, metal lined eel.

One blow to the head, and the leviathan was knocked down through the asphalt. An explosive launched into the belly of the beast ended the creature's life. Bits of shattered armor flew in all directions as the Chitauri-worm exploded. Several shards flew her way and the pain exploded through her veins as a few embedded into her arms and chest.

She yelped.

It took her seconds to realize that she would be useless in this fight. There was only one known weapon against the Fey, and these little pieces of shrapnel were a highly concentrated combination of such a mineral. And they were buried in her flesh, weakening her from the inside; poisoning her before her body could push the offending shards out. She could very well die before healing herself.

Movement down below caught her attention as she struggled to remain upright, failing miserably. She tottered against the ledge of the small building and watched Captain America dole out strategic orders. Iron Man took off skyward with Agent Barton, Thor took off to the sky also, Romanoff stayed at ground level with the Captain, while the Hulk grinned and took great pleasure out of smashing every Chitauri in his path.

A path that led him directly past her as she lost balance and fell over the ledge of the building.

"NOOO!" Roared the colossal green giant, watching her fall ten floors.

He never made it in time, her body landing awkwardly in a pile of rubble. She grunted at impact, willing her body to propel the shrapnel from her body, but to no avail. Blackened veins bulged under her skin, pain searing every nerve and making it extremely difficult to control her limbs. She whimpered as a large green face loomed above.

Vision blurring, muscles convulsing, and breathing becoming too difficult as the shards moved sluggishly outward through her flesh, Mari choked on a sob when she saw a worried Hulk reaching down to pull her out.

"Lady hurt," he said. "What hurt Lady?"

"I... ire... Iron," gasped Mari. "The... Chitauri are coated... pieces of armor are... inside... Dying..."

"Lady no die. Lady no leave Hulk!"

"I'm... sorry," a groan escaped her as a tiny piece of iron armor was expelled from a wound in her arm. "You should go... smash... be happy."

"Hulk! What happened to the smashing?" called Captain America as the green fellow laid Mari atop an empty car. "What's going on?!"

"LADY HURT!"

"Lots of people are hurt, but we need you smashing!"

"Lady, you be fine," said the Hulk, stroking a finger down her face. "Lady survive. Be happy and safe. Hulk knock sense into Bann-ner."

"I would... like very much to-to learn about... science," whimpered Mari, trying to smile through another wave of pain. "Would like to understand it... and see you both...at peace."

"Hulk, I'll take over," the voice of Stark resounded above. His metal suit clinking against the car as he landed. "Go destroy those aliens. I'll look over her."

It took some more convincing, but the Hulk finally roared his fury and took off with a heart full of vengeance.

"What's making you look all... corspe-like now?" asked Stark, his mask receding to look better at her blackened wounds. "I thought fairies were indestructible?"

"Iron," gasped Mari, again. "Iron in the... armor. It's lethal... embedded shards - can't heal myself fast... fast enough."

"Oh, interesting," said Stark, appearing unphased by the information. "Let's see if I can remedy that-"

"Thank you-"

"On one condition," he held up a finger. Mari groaned and nodded - anything to get these shards of iron out of her. "You join my team at Stark Tower, and I get to poke you whenever I want."

"Those are two separate conditions," gasped Mari through a grimace of pain. She took in the pointed stare from Tony and conceded. "Fine... whatever use I can be, I will gladly offer... my service."

"Jarvis, the magnetic field, please," ordered Stark, his helmet rebuilding around his exposed face. A mechanical whirring hummed through the metal suit and the glowing centerpiece increased in brightness. "This may hurt."

"I figured," grunted Mari.

Stark chuckled as he hovered a finger over the wounds scattered over her body. The tug of the magnetic field pulling the shrapnel out, bit by bit in nauseating and painful waves. Through gritted teeth, Mari cried out with every piece of shattered iron flying out of her flesh to the metal suit.

"Holy," breathed Stark as the last piece soared from under her skin to cling to his suit. "Your eyes... what the - does this always happen to you fairies?!"

She could feel the flesh knit itself back together, the blackened veins remaining. Panting, Mari pushed herself into a sitting position and watched the wounds in her hand heal over smoothly. When Stark took hold of her shoulders and turned her gaze to him, "What is wrong, Mr. Stark? Afraid I will negate our verbal contract?"

"Your eyes are kind of...glowing and your hair is black," he replied seriously, no hint of humor in his tone. "And you're... sort of nude..."

He averted his eyes as she looked down, laughing in that chiming bells way she was oh so fond. She was, most definitely, as naked as the day she was birthed. Her thick - now ebony - curls had slipped over her shoulders to cover the natural swell of her chest, pooling in her lap to cover her more intimate of places. She could see the fading of black in her veins underneath her smooth, pale skin.

"What color are my eyes?"

"Blue... cerulean," answered Stark, eyes still avoiding her. "Still glowing, too."

Okay, so maybe he wasn't fully obliging her modesty. She laughed again, a fitted toga-like tunic of wispy blues and greys surrounding and covering her chest to mid-thighs; one braided strap circling her neck, entwined with silver thread.

Sliding off the car, she witnessed the change in her appearance. Completely healed, yet lightheaded and still weak, Mari looked on at the sickly pale, elven-like woman with wild black curls and glowing blue eyes. She was the female version of her brother, less the maniacal look in the eyes and masculine bone structure. It must have been the trauma, almost dying could do such things to a Sidhe; drastic, tense moments had the ability to bring forth transitions in abilities, appearance. And she explained it verbatim to Stark before he made a joking remark and departed for an impending rocket aimed at the city.

She peered in the cracked window of the car, taking in her new appearance. Her pearlescent glow was still present in her skin, flawlessly smooth and pale, more sickly than mere moments before. She tentatively raised her slender fingers and touched the glass. She meant to shatter it with a pulse of sizzling lightning, an electric shock she had used to deter Stark on several occasions in the last month.

What she didn't expect was the explosion after the glass vibrated violently. It was terrifying, losing a well-trained ability for a new one she where she was uncertain of its capabilities. To be honest, she wasn't entirely sure of what she had just done. Had her other abilities been traded out, as well? Or had they simply been amplified by the cataclysmic change in her?

Disappearing in a cloud of shimmering energy - another disorientating anomaly - she reappeared, dizzy, in the penthouse level of Stark Tower, outside next to the portal beam. Swaying on the spot, she watched Chitauri warriors zooming by on their own flying chariots, zapping innocents as they fled for safety.

A high-pitched ringing pierced her ears as a monumental ache throbbed in her head. Wind whipped her unruly curls about her, and in her dazed state she could vaguely hear someone calling her name. Looking on at the enemy race destroying New York, Mari lifted her hands in front of her in the hopes of decimating the Chitauri in one go, if she was lucky.

"Marion!" yelled Agent Romanoff, who apparently had been standing next to her the entire time. "Marion, what happened?"

"I almost died... Powers are different now... I think I can," she stopped, focusing on targeting only the Chitauri. "I think I can shatter them... without levelling the city..."

Romanoff reached out and pushed Mari's arms down, "Don't! If you can't control it, just don't! We have a plan! It'll all be over soon! Go guard Loki. Can you do that?"

Mari nodded, barely noticing Loki's staff in her hands. On uneasy legs, she turned and walked through the shattered glass wall into the penthouse. She stumbled over debris until she collapsed beside him, clutching her head and whimpering.

"Mari," Loki grunted, reaching out for her.

"Something is wrong," moaned Mari, huddling down with her head clasped between her hands. "There is a vibration in my brain.. the ringing refuses to stop, Loki... it won't stop. Make it stop!"

"Mari, don't-"

"It wants out," whimpered Mari, rocking back and forth. "Wants to destroy. Wants to end the suffering."

"Bre-breathe," coached Loki, touching a gentle hand to her forearm.

"No, no, no, no," cried Mari, covering her ears as images flashed before her eyes. Hulk chained and caged; Stark and Barton and Natasha and Rogers dead; buildings burning and innocent mortals used as slaves to a merciless race. The images ripped at her soul, tearing her heart, and she would do anything in that moment to save the entire planet from the Chitauri. Save those close to her from such fates. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!"

A pressure she hadn't been aware of building up inside released in a force of invisible energy. The shock wave rippled out from her shattering window after window in the surrounding blocks, all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge. The army of Chitauri fell - dead - from the sky, every form of technology short circuited by the pulse.

A second wave from her sent out a wind storm over the entire state of New York; a third, rain; the fourth, a sky filled with fire; and the fifth, a dome of ocean water, before it all disappeared, like an illusion. Glass rained down as granules of sand, and the smell of the sea penetrated every nostril still breathing. It was the oddest of things, such an eclectic collection of abilities, and then there was quiet.

The ringing stopped, and the pounding in her head receded as she fell forward onto her brother.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!**

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Everything was wispy; the damp earth beneath her feet and the dark, gloomy sky above head, and everything in between. Dark, curling strands of wispy smoke was how she saw her surroundings. The dying trunks of twisted trees were a faint naval blue underneath the black smoke coiling in odd directions to create the illusion. The ground was a dark gray swirling about her ankles as she stepped tenderly through the old Unseelie forest. Everything was a combination of dull colored wisps weaving into shapes, creating something she could remember. Something familiar that would put her at ease, but this place, dank and dark and eerie, was far from pleasant. She would much prefer the smell of salty sea spray, enveloping and inviting as it rode a strong wind to prickle against her skin.

As if she was actually in control of this strange dream world, the wisps shifted and swirled around erasing everything. A new moon, dark and seemingly non-existent hung above her in the night sky. The wisps turned luminescent and faintly green,, she could feel the soft grass of Scotland underfoot. Healthy clovers were catching between her toes as the earth ended a few meters in front of her to drop off in a mossy cliff. Darks waves coiled and rushed up to break against the cliff side, ocean spray exploding upwards into the wind. The problem was the scent, it wasn't salty. It wasn't even cold. The air smelled of sweet spices, like the blue-skinned fey of Indian; warm and saccharine. And also masculine. The spiced air had an underlying perfume of man, strong and resilient. She remembered that smell, but there was no face or name that came to her that she could put to the delicate cologne lacing the breeze.

The scent clung to the flowing dress of delicate silks decorating her slight body. Gauzy material in pale, pearlescent white with ripped, ragged edges. The bodice part billowed over her upper torso, from where a bronze choker looped around her throat, down to the supple leather belted around her waist. It was fastened with a bronze medallion, blank and shining in the lack of light. The gauzy material flowed out in tattered skirts to her ankles. The spray riding the wind up from the crashing waves below sprinkled the material of her dress. The warm smell of spices lingered around her, in the dress she wore, enveloping her in the heavenly perfume that hugged her close and called her to a place she did not remember.

"You always did enjoy the sea."

She spun around to catch the voice, but found the etching of a tall, dark man forming out of coiling strands of black smoke. His silhouette sharpened as he neared, the moving strands weaving him into existence smoothing out into a clean image. She remembered him, vaguely, but the smell of spice did not belong to him. No, he smelt of familial bond and frost. A cold emanated from him, an icy rage that was being held under the surface. She wished she could place him. She wished she could remember who he was to her, this frost scented man with shiny black hair and piercing blue eyes. Eyes more blue than the depths of the sea, and more vivid than any sapphire that could be found in the earth. She took into account that colors seemed brighter in this place she had dreamed. Even her hair seemed to vivid to be considered realistic. No hair shimmered like moonlight in the dark of night, not even fey.

The frost man spoke again, "I remember very little, but your love of the sea...It is sharp in my mind."

"What happened to you that made you so cold?" She asked, tracing the lines of his features with her eyes. It was in vain, no matter how much she wanted to place him, she just could not manage to do so. And the sound of her voice, ethereal and chiming like bells in a soft wind. It echoed prettily in the air. "Why do you smell of harsh winter?"

The small whisper of a smile was gone from his lips, "You do not remember me."

"Should I?"

"I am your brother," he replied, reaching out to touch a long, silver strand of hair. He examined it with a sadness pulling around his eyes, etching into the corners. The little wrinkles made her heart hurt, because they seemed familiar, those wrinkles, but nothing came to rectify the void of memory related to them. Those little wrinkles. "Little is known of the Fey in Asgard. I wish we had more time together, Sister. I would so like to know how our kind changes in appearance each time we almost die."

"A new start requires a purging of everything we once knew," she answered softly, covering the hand stroking the lock of her pale, wavy hair. The touch was enough to strengthen the bond she felt. Sister, he had called her. He was her brother, he had said. All she could remember was that he was the Dark to her shining Light. "It is not quite death that erases the past from us. Only great sacrifice can wipe us clean to create a brand new future. True sacrifice is rewarded."

"From blazing fire to endless black," her self-proclaimed brother sighed, still stroking the silky strands of her hair under his thumb. "And now to this head of pure silver moonlight shimmering in the dead of night. Your eyes are as clear as ice melting, Sister. It shimmers more in Midgard. You glow and shimmer while you slumber. Your little monster sits by your bedside night and day. No one is capable of moving him."

"I do not know this monster you speak of. I do not even recall your name."

"Loki," he replied.

The name seemed to fit. He did have an aura of mischief about him. It mingled with the smell of frost and rage. And sadness. There was sadness in him, such overwhelming sadness it almost drowned her in its depths.

"And my name?" She asked, squeezing his hand as it released her lock of hair. "What is my name?"

The features in Loki's face hardened as a tension rippled through his body. Lightning was webbing through the sky. Stars disappeared as clouds as dark as the night blotted them out, creating the perfect conductors for the electric bolts sizzling overhead. Thunder clapped and echoed as loud as drums of war, deafening to a mortal ear. Her brother - it felt so right and true, calling him 'brother' - gripped her hands in his tightly. His lips pressed into a thin line, and she knew he was soon to say goodbye. It made her eyes water, knowing he would be departing this place, but the inevitability was too profound to shed tears over the matter. He had done something to earn his distance from her, and now he was to reap his consequences. Every action garnered a reaction, and he was in need to pay the price.

It didn't make it any less sad.

"Are you afraid of the storm?" She asked, noting the tightness around his eyes.

He chuckled, squeezing her hands once, "No. I am not overly fond of what follows."

"You came here for a reason," she said softly. "What great purpose have you been burdened?"

"I came to guide you home," he replied, the tightness seeping into his tone. "One act of selflessness before I am caged."

"If I slumber due to sacrifice, I will wake when everything I once was is washed from my immortal body."

"I cannot let you wake with no memories."

She gave this Loki, her brother, a sad yet warm smile to ease his troubled mind, "I will remember you. My Loki, God of Mischief. Do not fret, for when I wake I will live a mortal life. I will create new memories, and carry you with me in my heart. I will hold onto you, if nothing else remains."

"You sacrificed everything for a monster," Loki said bitterly. "You surrendered yourself for a futile human life."

Bits and pieces seeped back in, reminding her of why she had sacrificed her Feyhood, "I believe it was not just one human life, but all of humankind. It feels as though I saw a future where an entire race was brutally destroyed, and it pained me so to allow it to happen. True sacrifice is selfless. I traded immortality so the future of a world could be saved. Why does that make you bitter, brother? Why does that turn your heart so hard?"

"You will die," he bit out. "You will grow old and weak, just like the rest of the mortals."

"A new journey I am willing to except."

Lightning cracked and lit up the sky overhead, a warning to Loki.

He sighed and rolled his shoulders back, bracing himself for the inevitable goodbye, "I wish that I had power enough to save you."

"I wish I had power enough to ease your anguish," she replied as his fingers slipped from her hands. "You have not answered my question from before...Do I have a name?"

Loki chuckled, dark and sultry as he slowly backed away to leave, "A new beginning awaits you, Sister. You told me so yourself. A new future. Does that not merit a new name?"

She shook her head, confused, "I do not understand."

"If everything is to be erased," he answered, his body fading back into the wisps of curling black smoke from whence he originated, "and everything begin anew, why not name yourself? A new start requires a new name, does it not?"

A smile graced her pale pink lips, skin shimmering in the dark night between explosions of lightning in the sky.

"Mary," she said, the name sounding familiar, almost the same, but different enough to be a new beginning. That was what it felt like. Same, yet different. She wasn't quite ready for everything to change, even though it was inevitable. "I like the sound of Mary."

She could hear Loki chuckle as he faded away.

His voice echoed quietly through the crackle of lightning and drum of thunder and crash of waves against the cliff side, "A lovely choice for one so beloved by many."

Then he was gone, and she was alone.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Time was irrelevant in a transitional, midway pocket of rest. It did not move forward, even though days were passing as she lingered in this dream place as she slept. There was no movement in the sky above. It remained dark and still, with no moon to explain how she glowed and shimmered like moonlight. Stars twinkled, constellations blinking in the blackness. There was a wind that swirled up from across the ocean, bringing with it the spray of the sea waves crashing into the cliff she was sitting upon. In the soft green grass and clovers, mossy underneath her as she peered over the cliff's edge to the wispy image of crashing waves down below, she sat. She sat and waited in the coiling wisps of smoke that made up the soft ground she sat upon, and the sky above, and the ocean stretching out ahead of her.

She waited, and that was all she could do as everything she had ever known disappeared. She clung to the memory of her brother Loki. And she clung to the warm perfume of saccharine spices wafting in on the wind. A smell that dated back to trading galleys hundreds of years ago. It reminded her of India, and the fey that hide in plain sight among the hustle and bustle in that fantastical exotic place. It reminded her of a person, but who that person may be, she did not know. She knew of her brother, and the name she would carry with her when she awakened, and that was all she could cling to. Everything else had already began to fade when Loki infiltrated her healing mind to say his farewells.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

The waiting is what bored her. Knowing that she would still be fey, just mortal fey, that was comforting. She just wouldn't remember it. She would forget her heritage, the legends and stories of old. She would be blank. She would be blank, completely blank and born anew. New hair, new face, new eyes, new body. New personality, though she hoped it would be a nice change. She couldn't remember her old characteristics. It didn't matter, because she would be mortal. Truly mortal.

New future.

She was most excited about the new start. What would life be like as a mortal? Would she still have powers? Would she be inclined to a profession of some sort? Where would she go? What would she do?

What will it be like to grow old and pass on?

The excitement of finding the answers to all these questions kept her entertained. It was the boredom of waiting that dulled her senses and built the anticipation.

When would she wake up?

Everything moved in coiling strands of smoke in limbo. She was yearning to see the world again in clear, sharp detail. Feel the grass between her toes, the warmth of the sun on her pale face, the wind blowing over her, cool and refreshing. She was anxious to feel textures and watch people live. She wanted to experience life. It was a simple desire, but one she vaguely remembered longing for quite a long time. If only she would awaken so she could begin this new journey. True sacrifice rewards, it gave the sacrificer their deepest desire, and her reward would be one lifetime. The ability to fall in love and grow old with a person. The ability to experience a plethora of emotions; happiness, sorrow, anger and grief. A lifetime of experiences and sensations was to be had, and yet she wasn't waking up. The suspense was incredibly infuriating.

The awakening, it should be happening soon. Fairly soon. Her hair kept shimmering like glittering moonlight on a quiet sea, skin still glowing like the North Star. Her pearlescent dress fluttered in a nonexistent breeze, and her surroundings weaved and curled in their wispy substance trying to keep the environment the same. Something wanted to keep her in this limbo longer than she should. Most likely a small part of herself that was not ready to part with the ocean spray and peace this certitude instilled in a person. Of course, she had been waiting long enough. It was time to return to the land of the living. Time to accept the new life awaiting her when she opened her eyes.

She wondered, which was often since there was so much time and yet no time at all in this place, to think and ponder, of what she would open her eyes to, exactly. What would she see? Would she wake up to people surrounding her, or would she awake alone? She wondered what she would look like. Hopefully nothing drastic. Hopefully most of her remained the same. Of course, there were always changes beyond the physical. And then there were things that could never be changed. It was a gamble to see what disappeared and what would always be the same.

There was a change in limbo as she clung to the memory of her brother, burning him into her memory as firmly as she could. The wisps were growing restless, spreading out from where they coiled and curled and weaved images. The strands of smoke-like substance lightened as they smoothed out around her and blanketed the environment in blinding white.

Standing, she stepped tentatively forward, only to bring her foot back. There was nothing solid to step upon in the white. She was confused as to how she was not falling through the endlessness that looked to be the place between limbo and awakeness. She was also quite scared now that the end of her time in limbo had come. Scared and anxious, at the same time. What if her sacrifice had been for naught? What if she was being sent to a place of despair and sorrow and darkness? What if there was no sun or moonlight or oceans with sandy beaches, or cliff's with waves crashing against them? What if there was no peace? She didn't want to leave the serenity behind, she wanted to take it with her. She wanted to shimmer like moonlight in darkness and let the scent of hot sweet spices envelop her like a familiar embrace. She didn't want to forget that she was Fey. She didn't want to forget her heritage. It was a mistake, it was all a mistake. She didn't want to lose the memory of her brother. Loki had been right, and now she wouldn't even remember. How would she defend herself? How would she survive? Oh, what had she done?!

The white was bleeding into gray, and darker still. The light was growing dark, and she was scared. What would it be like? How would it feel?

All she could do was cling to the memory of Loki, and that cloying aroma, before darkness engulfed her and there was nothing holding her in place. As if a trap door had opened up from underneath and the darkness was swallowing her whole. She opened her mouth and screamed, but no sound escaped. The black swallowed that as well, absorbing it in the void as air rushed up past her in a swirling vortex of nothingness. There was no air to breathe, no sounds to hear, no wind to actually feel. The void numbed her as she succumbed to the fear and continued in her descent, but it could not squelch her fear. There were too many worries plaguing her, too many questions unanswered. She had been ready for this when she was waiting in limbo, but now the reality of it was crashing in on her as she fell and fell and fell.

And then it was as if she were rushing upwards. Up into her body. She slammed down and up, simultaneously, if that was even possible. It was the only way to describe as she fought through the void in her head. She collided into her body, reunited once more, the force arching her back off the plush surface she was laying on.

She gasped in a breath as her eyes flew open...


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Days had passed since the Chitauri attack on New York. The Avengers had parted ways, some coupling up to travel off and disappear for a time or to return to what they knew best, while others simply disappeared. Loki had been muzzled, forced to return to Asgard with his brother Thor to face the consequences of his selfish actions, while agents Barton and Romanov had taken off to who-knew-where. Rogers, or Captain America, had gone back to wherever he had come from. No one had heard from him, but suspicions were he was still trying to find his ground as a man out of time. It was understandable. The man had been unconscious since World War II, and had woken up in a new century, almost seventy years later. It couldn't be expected of him to accept it and acclimate quickly. It would take time.

Bruce Banner had taken Stark up on his offer and was now residing in Stark Tower. The upper levels were still being renovated and rebuilt after the attack, but Research and Development had been untouched. Of course, Bruce hadn't seen the labs since the dust settled after the invasion. In fact, he hadn't even left this set of rooms since he had accepted Stark's offer to work here. His rooms were down the hall, but the woman laying in the bed was more important than personally overseeing the labs. Or sleeping in his own bed.

The woman in the bed had been encased in some form of protective barrier as she slept. A translucent, shimmering bubble of silver and pale blue that allowed him to reach in and hold her hand. The waiting was the hardest part of this entire ordeal. She had no one left. No family, now that Loki had returned to Asgard. No one knew when or if Thor would return, though the Norse god had promised his brother he would. If anything more than to see that Marion NicEnnis was aided when she awakened.

It bothered Bruce, and he was uncertain as to why, that this ethereal beauty from another realm had sacrificed everything she was in order to save the entire planet. Loki had only been allowed a short visit with his sister - and it still irked everyone in the Avengers that this kind creature, this fairy, was related to Loki. The God of Mischief had spent fifteen minutes, invading Marion's mind to find where she had gone and saying his goodbye when he reached her at last. According to Thor, before everyone left to see Loki off, that Marion was in some sort of limbo as her body let go of her immortality.

It was confusing to Bruce, that any person would sacrifice themselves to save an entire world. That this woman would sacrifice her immortality and power and memories to save the Avengers. That kind of selflessness was extremely rare in this modern era.

Bruce was also saddened that she wouldn't remember him. He had cut off ties from his past life; the life before the accident and Hulk. He had understood the danger in growing attached to people, or places, and had kept moving after a period of time. He stopped growing attached to people, and pushed down the longing to have a friend or fall in love, or simply interact with other human beings on a personal level. It was easier that way. No one got hurt. No one died. Everyone was safe if he didn't get involved. And yet, this woman had gotten under his skin. Hulk was in his head, day and night, asking after her well being in his toddler-like manner. The Other Guy was infatuated with her, kept calling her, "Lady," and demanding Bruce return to her bedside every time the doctor attempted to check in on things in the labs. It wasn't as if Bruce wanted to leave her side. In truth, he was hesitant to leave her for a trip to the bathroom. It was just taking the rare break to stretch his legs and take in his new home. Tony called regularly to check on the status of the woman. Director Fury had called twice to let Bruce know that Thor had not returned to Earth, yet.

And Bruce remained at Mari's bedside, waiting. Days of waiting, hours and hours of waiting, and no change. She was still encased in her glittering bubble. She shone like a star in that bubble, glowing bright and true. Her hair had drained of color. It was pale and silvery like moonlight, shimmering in waves around her as she slumbered. Loki had declined to explain why all the color had drained from Mari's body. The god only mentioned that she used to love the sea as a child, and that everything she used to be was being erased for a brand new start. True sacrifice is rewarded, he had said. Apparently her reward would be a mortal life, stripped of power and made human. It was an odd reward for a sacrifice so great, but Bruce could vaguely understand the why. She was a fairy, had lived for centuries. It was plausible for her to desire what she had watched for hundreds of years. She cherished mortal life, so she must on some deep level, as minute as it could be, have a desire to experience it.

It was still odd.

Stranger still was the fact that Bruce felt, not an obligation, but a desire to wait for her to wake. He _wanted_ to.

She had shown such warmth and kindness to him since the very beginning. Had accepted the Other Guy in a way that made him start to accept his condition, as well. And there was that moment, on the helicarrier, that had chipped away at the wall he had built around himself to keep others out, safe. There was an attachment to this woman, he admitted that much, but where it went from here was a mystery. He was a scientist, Bruce Banner. Everything had to be rationalized and logical to a degree, even emotions. He had loved Betty, mourned the loss of her friendship and presence, but she had moved on and so must he. And this, now, mortal woman who shows kindness to monsters had fixated under his skin and he could not rid himself of thoughts of her. She was in him, like a disease. It was as if he were infected by her, by this woman who wouldn't even remember him when she finally woke up. It seemed a cruel twist of fate.

As the minutes ticked by and the late hours of the night started inching towards the morning, Bruce gave the woman's hand a gentle squeeze before finally nodding off in his chair...


End file.
